Former Syrian equestrian champ Adnan Kassar spent 21 years in prison, tortured after defeating Assad's brother.

Former Syrian equestrian champion Adnan Kassar was imprisoned and tortured for 21 years after defeating Bashar al-Assad's older brother, Bassel, in a competition. Kassar, once a close friend of the Assads and a celebrated athlete, was arrested under vague accusations and held in notorious Syrian prisons, where his treatment intensified following Bassel's death in 1994. Recently speaking out for the first time after the fall of the Assad regime, Kassar details years of abuse and injustice.

December 26, 2024
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